Ok, it’s not quite as new as it was when I first mentioned it, but . . . I’ve only had time to use it once, and it’s still shiny and beautiful. So I will call it new Of course I’m talking about my HD video camera which will let me take stunningly high quality video for my site from now on

Yes, that’s a pic of it (albeit with a little Photoshopping), isn’t it cool? It’s a Canon XHA1. Because I love Canon. My still camera is a Canon, my old video camera is a Canon, my old still camera is a Canon, and my film camera is a Canon. I guess some of it is that I’m used to their products and menu structures and stuff, but they really do make great products. Sony had a camera that’s basically the same as the XHA1, but it didn’t have any features worth switching for and it has lower grade optics. Easy choice

It does take amazing footage (from what I’ve had a chance to play with), and the shape and weight balance make it easy to line up the perfect shot. Of course, most of my footage is taken from a tripod, but it’s nice to imagine the things I could do with it! The only downside is, it’s HUGE. The case I found for it just barely fits into an airplane overhead compartment, which really makes travel pretty exciting . . . but more on that later, hehe.